Sports
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, September 3. 1987
13
Lisa Jones/KANSAN
Parting shot
Brian Taylor, Chanute freshman, grimaces in his efforts to launch a successful shot-put throw. He was practicing with the freshman track team near Kansas Memorial Stadium yesterday afternoon.
Valesente may redshirt as many as 20 freshman
staff writer
By CRAIG ANDERSON
Kansas practiced under the lights last night in an attempt to get ready for its opening night game at Auburn on Sept. 12.
Coach Bob Valesente said he hoped to redshirt as many as 20 freshmen this season. He did say, however, that some of the newcomers had a chance to make the 45-man traveling squad for the opener.
rreenman neineback Kyle Schenker headed the list of first-year players that had the best chances to get varsity playing time. Schenker moved up to the second team after last night's practice.
Cornback John Autenreith, safety Michael Page, offensive guard David Dunne, tailback Frank Hatchett and tailback Maurice Hookett were all named by Valesente as players who had a chance to travel with the team to Auburn.
The two freshmen running backs
eventually will be great players for the Jayhawks, he said.
"Maurice Hooks is going to be a great back," he said. "Frank Hatchett can flat-out run."
Valesente said he wasn't sure whether Hooks had been overlooked by recruiters because he missed much of his last season at Omaha South high school as a result of injuries.
The physical play of the Jayhawks during practice pleased Valesente. He said the team needed to stay consistent with that kind of playing style.
"I was glad to see that we do have it in us." Valesente said. "We need to keep playing like that practice after practice."
Mentor program receives high marks
practices.
An area in which the team had impressed Valente was in its physical conditioning. He said the work the players had done over the summer was helping them avoid the minor, nagging injuries.
Bv CRAIG ANDERSON
The success of the Kansas football program should be measured by more than just its accomplishments on the field, Coach Bob Valesente said.
Staff writer
said.
"We want to sell the kids on the fact that if they come to Kansas to play football, they will be preparing themselves for the rest of their lives," he said. "The preparations they make now will affect them forever."
forever.
Through an academic mentor program, many players are able to become a member of the KU faculty as their personal counselor. Last spring when the program was implemented, 40 faculty members participated. This fall, 60 members of the faculty have volunteered their time.
in the program, faculty members are available to help answer any questions players have. Academics are only part of the questions that may be involved, said Richard Lee, director of Support Services for the athletic department.
academic adviser. He said the goal of the program was to make an athlete feel as if he had a friend on the faculty that he could talk to at any time. Lee said the security that an athlete could gain from this would pay off for him both on and off the field.
Lee said a player's mentor was designed to be more than just an
"I've always felt that a well-rounded, smart athlete will beat the more gifted athlete every time." Lee said.
"This security makes the young man feel better about himself in whatever he does."
Stan Rolfe, professor of engineering, said Valesente's commitment to academics convinced him to volunteer for the program. He said Valesente was ahead of his time in the strides he had been made for improving relations between the faculty and the football team.
Rolfe serves as a mentor for freshman tight end Wolf Blaser.
man tight end Wolf Blaser.
"I will look him up several times this semester to check on how he is doing," Rolfes said. "He has a standing invitation to come into my office any time."
two semesters as an indication that the program was working. The team GPA rose from a 2.03 in the fall of 1986 to a 2.57 last semester.
Lee cited it in the overall team grade point average during the last
Senior defensive tackle Von Lacey said that the program had helped him budget his time better and improve his grades. The program would be especially helpful, he said, to new players at the University.
"The program has a lot to offer the players if they take advantage of it," he said. "They can orient themselves both academically and socially to the University."
Junior running back Arnold Snell said that the program was the reason he was able to raise his GPA to a 3.0 last semester. He said he felt as if he could go into his mentor's office and get answers to any questions he had.
"He got to be a real close friend to me," Snell said. "I felt like any problem I had, I could go talk to him about it."
Fifth-year senior Eldridge Avery, a mathematics major, said he wished he could have had a mentor early in his career at Kansas. He said he probably would have been able to graduate on time if the program had
been started when he was a freshman or sophomore.
The goal of the program, Valesente said, was to make his athletes total persons. By "total persons" he said he wanted to show that players could be successful not only athletically, but mentally and spiritually as well. This is important, he said, because less than one percent of college football players ever play in the National Football League.
The only way the program could reach its full potential was to build on itself, he said.
"It's just like anything else in life, you have to build on previous success and just keep striving to do better." Valesante said.
Lee said that the success an athlete had in the classroom often was overlooked because of what people saw on the field.
"People don't realize the time and energy that the athletes have to use," he said. "Most just think in terms of the time they spend on game day.
"We want people to realize the accomplishments they make as just another student who happens to play football," Lee said.
Students attempt to start lacrosse club
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
When his attempts at organizing a lacrosse club failed last year, Mark Glassman became discouraged about trying again.
about trying to be better. But when he found people were interested in the sport this year, he again decided to organize a club in a sport played mainly east of the Mississippi River and in Colorado.
"I didn't even bring all my gear," said Glassman, Lake Forest, Ill., junior. "But so many people came up to me the first day of classes and wanted to play."
wanted to play Glassman and two friends, Ron Conner, Lakewood, Colo., sophomore, and Bruce Cameron, Evanston, Ill., sophomore, put their names and phone numbers on a flier they were distributing yesterday at a table in front of Wescoe Hall.
Cameron said they had collected about 40-50 names by 1:00 p.m. yesterday. Many of the people who signed up, he said, were from places east of Kansas where lacrosse was popular.
The flier invited people interested in joining a lacrosse club to a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Campain and told the of the proposed club's plans to provide equipment and raise funds.
Glassman was getting the names and phone numbers of people interested in joining a club, if it got past the planning stage. He said he needed at least 20 people who were seriously interested in the sport for the club to operate.
To become a sports club recognized by the recreation services office, organizers must first become recognized as a student organization
through the organization and activities center, said Gordon Kratz, coordinator of club sports for recreation services.
SERVICES
Becoming recognized by the University as student organization requires that the club fill out an application at the organization and activities center, listing, among other things, the names of the club officers and adviser.
The application is reviewed by the organization and activities center and a decision is made whether to recognize the club as a student organization. Part of the decision is based on the number of students projected to be involved in the club, a spokesman for the center said.
But Glassman said he wanted to make sure there were enough people seriously interested before even applying to become a club.
"I don't want to turn in an application to become a club without having something to show them," Glassman said.
said.
If a lacrosse club is established and recognized, the club will be able take advantage of services provided by the recreation services office. Kratz said.
Kratz said his office provided the opportunity to reserve use of recreation service fields, advice for organizing and scheduling games and tournaments and contacts with other club sports' representatives at other universities.
Recognized sports clubs also are eligible for Student Senate funding, Kratz said.
Glassman said money would be needed for equipment, travel to out-of-town games, referees, goals and uniforms.
Corked bat could undo Astros
The Associated Press
HOUSTON — The last thing the Houston Astros need in the midst of the National League West pennant race would be to lose its leading hitter. But that's exactly what may happen as outfielder Billy Hatcher faces a possible suspension for using a corked bat.
Hatcher, one of the few Astros who has hit consistently all season, was ejected in the fourth inning of Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to Chicago after his bat split in two, revealing it had been corked.
Umpire crew chief John McSherry said the bat contained 3 to 4 inches of cork and had been sent to the league office. Katy Feeney, the league's spokeswoman, said it would be several days before a decision could be made on suspension.
"I have to stand up for him because the bat wasn't even his." Houston Manager Hal Lanier said. "I'd hate to be without a player of his caliber for any length of time at this stage of the pennant race."
Two pitchers, Joe Niekro of Minnesota and Kevin Gross of Philadelphia, have been suspended for 10 days this year. Both had sandpaper in their possession when checked by umpires during games.
Tuesday night's loss was Houston's seventh in a row, dropping the Astros $5\frac{1}{2}$ games behind division leading San Francisco.
fourth in the league with 149 hits. He has 11 home runs and 57 runs batted in.
Hatcher is hitting .311 and ranks
Hatcher said all of his regular bats were broken, so he unwittingly grabbed the corked bat in Tuesday's game.
Lanier backed Hatcher's story.
"Putting cork in a bat is not going to help a Billy Hatcher at all because of the kind of hitter he is," Lanier said.
"That is one of the bats our pitchers use to play their silly little games to see how far they can hit the ball in batting practice.
"It just happened to be the same model of bat Billy uses, and he was out of bats, so he picked it up."
The incident occurred at a time when the league was looking into the possibility that some batters have loaded their bats with cork or shredded rubber to add distance to their drives.
Howard Johnson of the New York Mets, Pedro Guerrero of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Candy Maldonado of San Francisco have had their bats checked. Managers have the right to ask that one bat each game be confiscated for examination if they suspect tampering.
they suspect abuse. The Cubs also were involved in incidents involving Johnson and Guerrero.
Hatcher said the bat was one used by Astros pitchers in pregame batting practice. The bat had No. 45 on its handle, the number of Astros relief pitcher Dave Smith.
Chicago Manager Gene Michael, who last week accused Smith of scuffing the baseball, said stiff penalties should be issued.
ties should be issued.
"Three months suspension without pay, that would deter people from doing this stuff," he said.
Half-baked potato ploy mashes player's career
white keeping the ball.
On impulse during a radio interview Wednesday, Williamsport General Manager Bill Terlickey
By game time, team officials said they had collected only two bushels of potatoes, but fans also had collected some spuds, complete with Bresnahan's autograph.
The 25-year-old backup catcher was released Tuesday from the Eastern League's Williamsport Bills after he tried to trick a base runner by throwing a peeled potato while keeping the ball.
The Associated Press
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Behind the plate, catch Dave Bresnahan was mediocre at best, but Wednesday night he was a big hit in the stands as he capitalized on a potato play that cost him his job.
The throw occurred Monday night after Reading Phillies catcher Rick Lundblade reached third base and took a couple steps off the bag. Bresnahan unscored a wild throw with the potato beyond the base and Lundblade made a run for the plate only to be tagged by Bresnahan, who had the baseball in his glove.
decided to take advantage of the publicity and offered to let fans in for a potato and $1 instead of the usual $2.75 general admission price. The game was the last home contest for the AA club, a farm team for the Cleveland Indians.
Not all fans approved — some grumbled about Bresnahan showing irreverence for the sport.
About two dozen fans crowded around the catcher as he signed his name and wrote "this spud's for you."
Lundblade was called safe at home by umpire Scott Potter, and Bresnahan was charged with an
error, which put Reading ahead 2-0 before Williamsport rallied to win 4-3.
Bresnahan, whose distant relative, Hall of Fame catcher Roger Bresnahan, innovated use of skin guards in the early 1900s, said he had checked the rule book and didn't think umpires would allow the run to score.
At most, he said, he figured he would be finned and would see Lundblade sent back to third.
Lilliamade sein sein
"I read in a baseball book where
years ago some catcher pulled this
in off the lower minor leagues," he
Hits lacking for Royals in 3-2 loss
said. "I was sitting around one night with some of my teammates having a few beers, and I told them about it. . . We got out a rule book and couldn't find anything in there where it would be a penalty for doing this."
He said he kept the potato in a spare glove he retrieved from the dugout before the play.
The Associated Press
rugby before. The Bills were second from the bottom in the standings; the Phillies already were assured of a playoff spot with three games left in the season.
The loss was the third straight for the Royals. Tuesday night, Milwaukee's Ted Higuaiz pitched a one-hitter against Kansas City.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bill Wegman and two relievers combined a three-hitter and Bill Schroeder hit a three-run homer last night that led the Milwaukee Brewers over the Kansas City Royals, 3-2.
Wegman, 9-10, gave up Steve Balboni's two-run homer in the second but allowed only two other singles through six innings. Chuck Crim pitched two innings and Daniex finished for his 23rd save as the Brewers won for the seventh time in nine games.
Robin Yount, who singled home the winning run in Higuera's 2-0 victory Tuesday night, drew a one-out walk in the first inning and went to second when Charlie Leibrandt balked. He was then stopped by Greg Brick walked and Schroeder followed with his 11th home run, giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead.
Danny Tartabull walked with one out in the second and scored on Balboni's 19th home run.
The Royals announced yesterday that Melido Perez, the younger brother of Montreal Expos pitcher Pascual Perez, would jump from Class AA to a starting assignment against the Chicago White Sox tomorrow night.
Perez, 21, a right-hander with a 12-8 record. 3.09 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 198 innings at Class A Fort Myers, Fla., and Class AA Memphis, was called up to replace left-hander Bud Black in the Royals' starting rotation.
Coach works to instill toughness in swimming teams
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
When Kansas swimmers are nearing the end of their races during meets this season, there is one thing Kansas coach Gary Kempf doesn't want to see.
"I do not want us to lose a race in the last 25 yards," Kempf said.
dry land practice The swimmers run three to five miles four days a week, do a 45-minute intensive aerobics workout five days a week and lift weights three days a week.
To meet that goal, Kempf has both the men's and women's team on a program to toughen them both mentally and phyically. Kempf calls it a dry land program.
The Kansas men's and women's team both finished second at the conference championships in March. Nebraska won both conference championships, their eighth straight men's title and third straight women's title.
it's a program that Kemp hopes will put Kansas at the top in the Big Eight Conference championship meet in March.
"I feel like we should have won titles the last two years," Kempf said. "I don't feel like we were tough enough when we had to be tough.
"Our attention is geared a step higher this year. We're returning to the form that we should be. Mental toughness is something that's
learned every day in practice."
the best returning swimmers for Kansas, Kempf said, are senior Susan Spry and junior Erin Easton.
"I call them the twin towers. They are both about six feet tail and are excellent athletes," Kempf said. "They have the potential to be among the best in the country."
Spry is a freestyle specialist and swims all distances from 50 — 1,650 yards. Kempf said he thought she swam faster at the middle distances. Spry was second in last season's conference meet in the 100-yard freestyle and third in the 200-yard freestyle. She was also on the 800-yard freestyle relay team that won the conference championship and the
400- and 200-yard freestyle relay teams that both qualified for the NCAA championships and were second in the conference.
and in the coliseum. Easton was the conference champion in the 200-yard individual medley and qualified for the 1988 Olympic trials with her time. She was also second in the conference in the 100-yard breaststroke, on the conference champion 400-yard medley relay team and on the 800- and 200-yard freestyle relay teams.
Kempf is also relying on sophomore Susan Bloomfield, who finished second in the 100-yard backstroke at the conference meet.
Kempt said there were five freshmen who could help the team inmate
Junior Glenn Tramnel leads the returning men's swimmers. Trammel was the conference champion in the 200-yard backstroke, second in the 100-yard backstroke and third in 200-yard individual medley. He was also on the 800- and 400-yard freestyle relay team that both finished second in the conference meet.
Junior Bobby Kelley is another qualifier for the Olympic Trials. He
diately: Jacki Becker, breaststroke; Gina Brown, butterfly; Jennifer Carani, freestyle; Kelley Kauzlarich, diver and Kelly Seavall, freestyle and individual medley.
in the center Tramnel has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 100-yard backstroke.
qualified in the 400-yard individual medley, in which he placed second in the conference. Kelley was also fourth in the 200-yard individual medley and second in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the conference meet.
the king of the 1,650-yard freestyle in the Big Eight for the past three years has been senior Chuck Jones. Jones returns to Kansas shooting for his fourth conference championship in the event.
"This is probably the best freshman class in a long time based on talent and quality," said Kempf, in his twelfth season as women's coach and seventh season as men's coach. "They're going to push the upper-classmen really hard and really fast.